“Let them eat cake.” These famous words were not spoken by Marie-Antoinette, as so many have thought. In print, this phrase was first recorded in 1791 by Louis XVIII in his Relation d’un voyage a Bruxelles et d Coblentz. Needless to say, cake has been around for a very long time.
First originating in the last days of the stone age, “the earliest examples were found among the remains of Neolithic villages”. Today cakes come in every flavor, color, size and shape. They are made with anything from flour and eggs to cream cheese and fruit. Making a good cake is simple. Making the best-ever chocolate cake is fool proof.
The key to baking is oven temperature. Most cakes are baked at 350`, 325` for a glass pan. A uniform oven will produce a good cake that rises evenly. If you put the pan too close to any of the sides, the heat will not flow evenly around the baking dish. This could cause your cake to raise slightly higher on one end or the other. Always center your pan on the middle rack.
The baking dish, in my opinion, can be anything. I have made specialty cakes for holidays using a soup can and a coffee can. As long as the pan has an even coating of oil and flour, you should be ok. Just remember that too much oil can cause the flour coating to clump onto the finished product. You may even notice that parts of the cake are dryer than others. This is because the oil heats up and can create mini hot spots that cook the cake more fast in that area. I always apply a thin layer of oil with a cooking spray. Once the pan is coated with the flour, I take it to the trash can, turn it up-side-down, and smack the bottom a couple of times. When I make a chocolate cake, I substitute cocoa for the flour. This produces a uniform color to the finished product.
The ultimate chocolate cake has 9 ingredients. Flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda, vinegar, oil, vanilla, and water. Bill Cosby’s rendition of the healthy ingredients in chocolate cake are a little off base. There are no eggs or milk in this recipe. Just for the sake of argument, it has been determined that cocoa can reduce high blood pressure and helps with the human cardio vascular system. Of course, this doesn’t take into account the sugar and oil in this recipe.
Healthy or not, I have not run into too many people who do not like chocolate. I have not met anyone yet, that doesn’t like this cake. It has become a requested recipe at all family gatherings and holiday events.
Start by setting your oven to bake at 350`. Grease and flour your pan. A 9×13 pan is perfect. This can be divided into two round pans, for a double layer cake. Gather your ingredients. The list is simple.
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup cocoa (note: Hershey’s makes a dark chocolate cocoa that makes this recipe even more decadent)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla (I always use pure vanilla extract and 2 tsp instead of 1)
2 Tbs. white vinegar (must be white)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cold water
In one bowl, mix the first five ingredients until they are blended well. This has to be done to ensure the baking soda is evenly distributed. Next, make a hole in the center of the mixture. Pour in the water first. Then add the remaining liquids. Stir all of this about 200 times until it is well blended. Pour the batter into your baking dish. Place the dish into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Test by sticking a toothpick in the center of the cake. When it comes out clean, the cake is done.
An important part of presentation is how the frosting looks when applied to the cake. For an easy frosting experience, let your cake cool completely. Do not even let it be a little warm. Patience is a lesson learned here. Brush off all the loose crumbs. For a square or oblong cake, I find it easier to do the top of the cake first. Simply put 1/2 cup of your favorite frosting on the cake. Using a flat knife or spatula, spread it evenly on the cake. Use another cup to cup and a half for the sides. It is simple to frost the cake if you have it in a place that allows you to turn the cake as you apply the frosting. Using the same utensil, make swirl designs on the top of the cake. To be a little more creative, pour just a little chocolate syrup in a “bull’s eye” pattern on the top of the cake. Slowly draw lines through the syrup to give it almost a spider web effect. Our family likes “death by chocolate” executions, so this cake is always frosted with dark chocolate frosting. Served with a scoop of chocolate mint ice cream, this is the ultimate PMS fix. I know for a fact it has saved my husband’s life many times.
